Quote:
Originally Posted by Gilliland  One of the big problems with any of the Chinese import microphones is consistency. So while your 205 may be much better than the 210 that you tried, that may not be the case at all for other instances of the same mics. One of the common issues with these mics is ribbons that are improperly tensioned. That could certainly be the cause of the problems that you heard in the 210. |
I tested 3 210s and 2 205s in the same store with a very helpful store owner I've known for decades and it was clear that the 210s all had really obvious body resonances and were lacking in highs compared to the 205s, even with slightly different sound between each of the mics tested (due to that famous QA we all know about from China) but the problems were clearly not the ribbon, they were due to the 210 having very visibly more closed grills (couldn't see through it nearly as easily) compared to the visibly much more open 205 grill, and also due to the larger body offering more ring and resonance at a lower frequency and with less damping than the simply smaller design of the 205's body allowed.
Just a fluke probably, although there definitely were improvements in the grille of the 205s compared to the 210s.
This was some months ago, man, maybe hale a year ago even.
Oh yes, and just a note for those curious - the 205s and 210s and probably many other cheap ribbons tend to sound quite different on the front and the back of the mic, worth playing with that to see what sounds best on each source.
Cheers,
Don